Windows Patches

28 February 2007

Game Patches

28 February 2007

Dark Messiah 1.04 Multiplayer Patch

27 February 2007

Arkane have released a 1.04 MP Patch for Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. The patch adds four new maps, a new game mode and a range of bug fixes, and is available through Steam. There are no significant changes to the DMOMM Tweak Guide.

Browser Attacks & Phishing Sites On the Rise

27 February 2007

It appears that both Browser Vulnerabilities and Phishing Sites are rapidly increasing, outpacing fixes and built-in phishing protection. The upshot is that you shouldn't just rely on your browser to protect you while online.

Firefox Javascript Vulnerability

27 February 2007

A critical Javascript vulnerability is affecting Firefox, including version 2.0.0.2. Mozilla suggests that users disable Javascript to prevent the vulnerability being exploited.

Game Patches

27 February 2007

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

25 February 2007

Microsoft has released the free Virtual PC 2007. This software allows you to create 'virtual machines' within your current operating system, each with their own OS and settings.

Firefox 2.0.0.2

24 February 2007

Mozilla have released what appears to be the final version of Firefox 2.0.0.2 on the Mozilla FTP server, and the official change list will appear here. The update should be on the main Firefox site and available through the built-in updater soon, so it may be best to wait to obtain it that way.

Realtek HD Audio 1.60 for Vista

23 February 2007

Game Patches

23 February 2007

ATI Catalyst 7.2

22 February 2007

ATI has released the 7.2 Catalyst graphics drivers for XP and Vista. Changes include a new Catalyst Control Center for XP and performance improvements for X1000 series cards in OpenGL. I will update the ATI Catalyst Tweak Guide after the TGTC for Vista is released.

Battlefield 2142 1.20 Patch

22 February 2007

EA/DICE have released the final version of the 1.20 Patch for BF2142. This patch contains a range of fixes and is recommended to all BF2142 players. Note the incremental version of this patch is only for those who were involved in the open beta of the 1.20 patch; everyone else needs to use the full version patch even to upgrade from 1.10. I have updated the BF2142 Tweak Guide but there are no significant changes.

Game Patches

22 February 2007

Browser Loyalty

22 February 2007

I don't normally do editorials, however recently I reported a security flaw in Firefox with a fix yet to be released. I suggested people use Internet Explorer for sensitive sites until Firefox is patched, to which I got many emails suggesting workarounds and other methods which seem to be more trouble than simply using IE for a while. It got me thinking about the 'browser loyalty' mentality which is proliferating around the web, product loyalty which makes no sense at all. A browser is a tool. If you have two tools which do much the same job and one of them breaks, logic would dictate you use the other tool until the first one is fixed, right? If your online security is at stake, why play favorites? I even see people using tools like nLite or vLite to permanently remove Internet Explorer from their Windows installation disc. To me that's just pointless; fanboyism gone mad. IE7, Firefox and Opera are all viable, secure and generally easy to use browsers. Learn to adapt: install several browsers and if one is less secure, while a fix is being prepared switch to another one.

Update: For those of you still questioning this advice, I elaborate my thoughts here.

Update for Windows XP

21 February 2007

Microsoft have released an Update which addresses access violation errors in Windows XP.

Nvidia Forceware 100.65 for Vista

21 February 2007

Nvidia have released the final WHQL Forceware 100.65 for Vista graphics drivers, including a 64-bit version. These drivers are for GeForce 6, 7 and 8 series cards, but don't yet contain full SLI functionality for all cards in all APIs.

Game Patches

20 February 2007

Firefox Cookie Exploit

19 February 2007

A major exploit in Firefox lets attackers use altered cookies to allow phishing attacks to go undetected. At present there is no fix for this issue, so you might like to use Internet Explorer to access sensitive websites for the moment until Mozilla releases a fix.

Site Update

19 February 2007

Another weekly status report on the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Vista. The good news is it is now almost ready for release. It should only be a few more days before I can let it loose on the world, and it has grown to over 245 pages in size (without pictures). I'm exhausted but proud. The next step will be to update all the existing guides, particularly the ATI and Nvidia Tweak Guides, to make them Vista compatible. That will likely take more time, but for the moment sit tight and the TGTC for Vista should be here shortly.

Acronis TrueImage 10 Update

17 February 2007

Acronis have released a new Build 4940 of the TrueImage 10 backup utility. Among the improvements are fixes for working better under Vista.

Battlefield 2142 Unlock Weekend

17 February 2007

EA have announced that this weekend all BF2142 unlocks will be available to all players, giving everyone a chance to see what the unlockable weapons are like.

Major Router Hack Emerges

17 February 2007

A major new hack has emerged which involves malicious javascript on a website changing the DNS configuration of home routers. This will then allow phishing attacks to be undertaken without the user being aware. The hack capitalizes on the fact that most people do not change their router's configuration login password from the default of 'admin'. To login to your router's configuration screen you typically need to enter the address http://192.168.1.1 in a browser address bar, then use the username and/or password of admin. I recommend you do this now, and check to see where you can change the password - change it to something safer than 'admin'. If you aren't sure how to do this check your router manufacturer's website.

Game Patches

16 February 2007

Daylight Savings Impact

16 February 2007

Microsoft has issued an Advisory on the impact of recent changes to US Daylight Savings Time which starts on March 11 this year. Vista users are unaffected, and XP users should run Windows Update and install all relevant updates as there is a fix for this. However as the advisory notes this change can also affect other types of consumer electronics.

Prey 1.3 Patch

15 February 2007

Human Head Studios have released the 1.3 Patch for Prey. This patch does not have any new content or bug fixes, it is designed to allow PC players of Prey to be able to play against Mac players in multiplayer. As such there are no real changes to the Prey Tweak Guide.

CPU-Z 1.39

15 February 2007

CPUID have released Version 1.39 of the CPU-Z information utility. It now supports Vista 64-bit as well as some new chipsets.

WinAmp 5.33

15 February 2007

Nullsoft has released Version 5.33 of the free WinAmp media player. Changes include a range of optimizations and fixes.

Update: Some people may see only 5.32 displayed, this appears to be due to the main WinAmp site being under load and possibly reverting to an older mirror at times. Here is the direct download link to WinAmp 5.33 Lite.

Realtek HD Audio 1.59 for Vista

14 February 2007

DreamScene Animated Desktop

14 February 2007

Microsoft has released a preview of the Windows DreamScene animated desktop for Vista Ultimate owners. Those running Vista Ultimate can find it under their Windows Update. WinCustomize has opened a new Dream WinCustomize site to showcase custom animated desktops for use with DreamScene.

Microsoft Security Updates

14 February 2007

Microsoft has released its monthly set of security updates which you can get through Windows Update, or if not there by viewing and downloading them from here. There are several important security updates you should install as soon as possible.

Razer Diamondback 6.00 Driver

13 February 2007

Game Patches

12 February 2007

Nvidia Quality Assurance

11 February 2007

After recent complaints and legal threats regarding the lack of adequate Nvidia graphics drivers for Windows Vista, Nvidia has put together a Quality Assurance page which responds to criticisms and importantly provides an avenue for Vista users to report bugs to Nvidia. If you are having problems with your Nvidia graphics card under Vista and suspect it to be driver related, report the bug as this will help speed up the release of stable final version Nvidia drivers.

Site Update

11 February 2007

Not surprisingly I find myself telling you yet again that the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Vista is still not finished. It's grown to around 220 pages due to the detail I've added on new features and settings in Vista, and as mentioned before the vast bulk of the guide has been totally rewritten. I'm on the home stretch now and should have the guide finished by this time next week, no guarantees though. Sit tight and don't send that hate mail until you see for yourself if I've made the wait worthwhile.

Game Patches

9 February 2007

Diskeeper 2007 Update

9 February 2007

Diskeeper Corp has released an updated Build 698 of the Diskeeper defragmentation utility for XP. To obtain this update open Diskeeper, go to Configure Diskeeper>Updates and Upgrades and click 'Check Now'.

Steam Client Update

9 February 2007

Valve have released a Steam Client Update which adds language support for Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish and fixes some bugs.

Quake 4 Beta 1.40 Patch

9 February 2007

id Software have released a major Beta 1.40 Patch for Quake 4, containing a wide range of changes for multiplayer.

Firefox 3.0 Alpha 2

8 February 2007

For those interested in experimenting, Mozilla has released Firefox 3.0 Alpha 2. Since this is an alpha build, it is only recommended for people who want to test and report bugs to Mozilla, but it gives a glimpse into the next generation of the Firefox browser.

Realtek AC97 3.98 Audio Drivers

8 February 2007

Realtek have updated their AC97 audio drivers for all operating systems to Version 3.98.

Game Patches

6 February 2007

iTunes Repair Tool for Vista

6 February 2007

Apple have released an iTunes Repair Tool to resolve some compatibility issues with iTunes under Windows Vista. There is also additional advice about iTunes Vista compatibility here.

Creative Vista Sound Driver Delays

5 February 2007

For X-Fi and Audigy owners waiting for final non-beta Vista-compatible sound drivers from Creative, this official update on the Creative forums explains that they are not expected to be out until March. Creative sound card owners will have to continue using the beta drivers available, despite there being problems for some users with these. It is very unfortunate that major hardware companies like Creative and Nvidia (see below) cannot coordinate themselves to release final quality drivers to coincide with the release of a major new OS despite months of preparation time.

Site Update

4 February 2007

Yes, I'm still working hard to complete the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Vista. It's now taking up most of my day, every single day, so it's no picnic. I still can't say exactly when it will be out, possibly in the coming week, maybe February 14 at the latest. Just explaining all of Vista's new features accurately is a huge chore, much less formulating good recommendations and adding a suite of tips and tweaks. I wish the people who are saying Vista is just XP with a few changes were right, but a lot has changed. So much so that I estimate over 75% of the 175+ pages of TGTC text has had to be completely rewritten.

PerfectDisk 8 Update

4 February 2007

Raxco have updated PerfectDisk 8 to Build 8.00.50, and it is now certified for Windows Vista as well.

Game Patches

4 February 2007

Doom 3 1.3.1 Patch

3 February 2007

In a sign of great support for an ageing but classic game, id Software have released the 1.3.1 Patch for Doom 3. This patch fixes a few small bugs, and importantly it improves Vista compatibility. Considering how solid Doom 3 already is, I'm impressed with the ongoing support for the game.

Battlefield 2142 1.19b Beta Patch

3 February 2007

EA Games have released a new 1.19b Beta Patch for BF2142. The main changes in the patch are detailed here, and clearly since this is a beta patch, it is only recommended for those who want to experiment. Note that although it is called 1.19b it is a beta of the upcoming 1.2 patch.

Nvidia Owners Considering Class Action

3 February 2007

Many Nvidia owners are quite rightly displeased with the way Nvidia has not yet been able to release final version Vista-compatible graphics drivers. As we've seen in the past few days, Nvidia has released two beta Vista drivers within two days, which is not a good sign. And while some are not experiencing problems with them, others are. To his credit, one owner has set up a site called NvidiaClassAction.org to gather actual evidence about this matter and discuss the issue maturely, as well as possibly pursuing legal avenues in forcing Nvidia to deliver quality drivers for Vista. For the record I agree that this situation is absurd, since Vista Beta and Release Candidates have been out for over four months now, plenty of time for Nvidia to either deliver quality drivers or at least warn potential purchasers of their cards about Vista incompatibility issues.

DirectX9.0c February Update

3 February 2007

Microsoft has released the February Update for DirectX9.0c. It is generally recommended that all XP users upgrade to the latest version.

Game Patches

3 February 2007

CCleaner 1.37.456

2 February 2007

A new Version 1.37.456 of the system cleanup utility CCleaner has been released. The changes include improved Vista and 64-bit compatibility.

Nvidia Beta Forceware 100.59 for Vista

2 February 2007

Nvidia has released another Official Beta Forceware 100.59 for Vista 32-bit and 64-bit. These drivers appear to support Geforce 6/7/8 series cards, and add SLI and OpenGL functionality as well. It is unusual that Nvidia have released two beta drivers in the space of two days.

Game Patches

1 February 2007

Vista Upgrade Edition Clean Install From Boot

1 February 2007

As reported earlier, using a Vista Upgrade Edition usually requires that you first boot into an existing install of an older version of Windows before you can start the installation from the Vista DVD and choose the Clean Install option. A workaround has been published which allows you to boot from a Vista Upgrade Edition DVD and clean install without having to load up or install an older version of Windows first. Others have confirmed that this works.